10/07/2013 - The United States should improve postsecondary career and technical training provisions to help students transition smoothly into education programs and the labor market, according to a new OECD report published today.

The report, entitled ‘Skills beyond School’, gives high marks to many areas of U.S. postsecondary education, including a highly innovative and dynamic policy environment, locally-responsive institutions and training providers, and a diverse set of credentials that help students succeed in the labor market.

However, the OECD also identified several challenges, including the “relatively weak” basic skills of American teenagers and high school graduates compared with counterparts in other OECD countries.

The overarching recommendation from the report is the need for the U.S. to strategically pursue more quality, coherence and transparency in the U.S. postsecondary system. This, say the report’s authors, will help deliver the skills training and credentials needed to build employer confidence, support student success and maintain the global standing of the US workforce.

Specific recommendations include:

Substantially strengthen quality assurance in postsecondary education and its links to Title IV student aid,